St. Louis, MO 10/15/2022- The Westminster College volleyball team traveled down I-70 to take part in the Webster University Tri-Match. They would take on the Webster University Gorloks and the Central College Dutch. The Blue Jays faced off against the Gorloks in game one and would lose 3-1 (15-25,25-23,18-25,22-25). The Dutch would sweep them in game two (19-25,20-25,24-26). The Blue Jays fall to 15-12 on the season and 9-4 in the SLIAC. They currently sit fourth overall in the SLIAC standings with one more conference game left to play against the undefeated Greenville University Panthers.
Game One vs Webster- The Gorloks would win in four sets against the Blue Jays, 3-1. They would dominate the first set winning 25-15. The Blue Jays played much better in the second set after spotting the Gorloks a six-point lead to start the second set. They would battle back to tie it at ten points apiece. The Jays would then get a five-point lead at 18-13. Webster would score four unanswered points to tie the set one more time at 22-22. Westminster would score three points in a row and senior hitter Eryka Wanyonyi (Columbia, MO/ Hickman) would win the set for the Blue Jays (25-23) on one of her fifteen kills in the match.
The Gorloks would handle the Blue Jays' attack in set three winning 25-18.
The Blue Jays were down 22-17 in the fourth set before making a late run to cut the game to 22-23. The rally would be too little too late as the Gorloks scored the next two points to win the set 25-22 and the match 3-1.
Wanyonyi led the Blue Jays with fifteen kills and Malena Bixby (New Berlin, IL/ New Berlin) would rack up eleven kills as well. Setter Kate Rable (Saint Peters, Mo. / Fort Zumwalt South) had thirty assists in the match. The Jays would have four different players with double-digit digs. Kirsten Schrader (Imperial, MO / St. Pius X) had a team-high twenty-two digs, Bixby would have seventeen digs and Rable would have twelve digs. Both Bixby and Rable recorded double-doubles in the match.
Game Two vs Central- The Central College Dutch would sweep Westminster 3-0 in game two (19-25, 20-25, 24-26). The Blue Jays attempted to avoid the sweep by tying the third set 24-24 but the Dutch would be too much for the Jays to handle.
Bixby led Westminster with eight kills in the match, and Payton Bledsoe (Mexico, MO/Mexico) would have seven kills as well. Rable picked up thirteen assists and Schrader would get thirteen digs.
The Blue Jays return to Fulton and prepare for a showdown against the undefeated Greenville Panthers inside the Historic Gym. That game will begin at 7:00 PM.
